This has to be the best example of the "I didn't say what I said" defense that I have ever seen.  Normal people with any sense of pride or shame would be reluctant to use it because it's so patently absurd, and it tells us a great deal about Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi.

Let's begin by looking at Morsi's defense:

In a television interview that the paper [the New York Times] said he made months later, Morsi described Zionists as "these bloodsuckers who attack the Palestinians, these warmongers, the descendants of apes and pigs."

Morsi told a delegation of US senators visiting Cairo on Wednesday that the remarks needed to be put "in the context in which they were said," his spokesman said in a statement.

That context was Israeli "aggression" against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the spokesman said, a possible reference to an Israeli military operation in Gaza in 2008 and 2009.  [...]

Morsi told the [U.S.] delegation [led by Senator John McCain] he was committed to freedom of religion and belief, his spokesman said, adding: "his Excellency (Morsi) pointed out the need to distinguish between the Jewish religion, and those who belong to it, and violent actions against defenseless Palestinians."

That's Morsi's defense as reported in the Jerusalem Post.  I'll say more about it later, but now let's take a look at the video showing Morsi delivering the remarks that landed him in hot water:

There is no denying the fact that Morsi called Zionists "blood-suckers", "warmongers," and "the descendants of apes and pigs."  He also called Zionists "occupiers of the land of Palestine."  That includes all of Israel.  But he didn't stop there.  He said that Zionists and Americans are "enemies."  All of those statements are crystal clear and revealing if you have the capacity to open your eyes and see what is taking place right in front of you.

Now, let's return to Morsi's defense and do a little parsing.  The context in 2010 when he made those remarks was "Israeli 'aggression' against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip," or so his spokesman said.  Interestingly, there was no fighting in 2010 except for the near-daily barrage of rockets and mortars coming from Gaza on orders from Hamas and recurrent random acts of terror against Israelis.  In a nutshell, if Morsi's spokesman is reporting accurately, Morsi is lying.

But the spokesman didn't stop there.  He said that there is a "need to distinguish between the Jewish religion, and those who belong to it, and violent actions against defenseless Palestinians."

I assume that he's still speaking for his boss because no other assumption makes any sense.  If that's correct, Morsi must mean that Jews are okay, but Jews who have faith are "blood-suckers", "warmongers", and "the descendants of apes and pigs".  And the part about "violent attacks against defenseless Palestinians" is deliciously stupid since Israel is fighting for survival in a hostile environment and has been since 1948.  Both the Hamas and Palestinian charters call for Israel's destruction to this day.

Those so-called "defenseless Palestinians" have lobbed tens of thousands of rockets and mortars at innocent Israeli civilians over the years.  On top of that, they have engaged in heinous terrorist attacks that include slaughtering Israeli families while they sleep, bombings in crowded locations, and staged-for-the-camera rock throwing events aimed at innocent Israeli citizens who are simply driving their cars, walking, or praying.

That means Morsi's defense is preposterous.  He was caught red-handed on camera.  He should have said, "I said it and I meant it" or "I said it, but I was just pandering to the bloodthirsty Islamists in Egypt hoping one day to be their leader."  I'm not suggesting that either of those explanations would excuse Morsi or solve his immediate problem, but I am saying that either one of them is more believable than the one he chose to use.

I wish that I could say only Jew haters and Islamists will believe Morsi's defense, but when I think about all of the useful idiots in the world, I know that's not true.  In fact, the highest ranking useful idiot in the world today lives in a big white house in Washington, D.C.  I'll bet that he'll use Morsi's defense to support giving Egypt more of our money and weapons.  And don't think for one second that Islamists aren't gaining sway in our capital.  They have infiltrated agencies of our government and are brazenly bragging about it in their press.

Does President Obama know this?  Of course he does.  There is no rational way to conclude that he doesn't know.  Stated another way, if he doesn't know, he's incompetent beyond comprehension.

As the indomitable Alice of Wonderland fame said, things are getting "curiouser and curiouser."  Who knows where this will end?  I don't, of course, because I'm part of the unwashed masses that need help to be confused.

Neil Snyder is the Ralph A. Beeton Professor Emeritus at the University of Virginia.  His blog, SnyderTalk.com, is posted daily.